JLIBNIEID 


HE COIRIK 


Shes HOUSE 


COMFORTABLE 


HOME 


i 


Thé Cork Lined House 
4 Makes a 
Comfortable Home 


Rega Ue sebatOf. 


ARMSTRONG CorkK & INSULATION Co. 
PITTSBURGH, BA, WatSerAs 


Branch Offices and Representatives in the Principal 
Cities of the United States and Canada 


B-11 


Copyright 1926, Armstrong Cork & Insulation Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. 


she RoclndRndlndRndln cfc ce ce of dlp cl cto 
oe ul 
4 Foreword |, 


De 


large or small, how elaborate or simple, one thing 
you require above all others is that it be comfort- 
able. And since comfort is largely a matter of tem- 
Comfort perature, your house must be warm, free from drafts, 
a Matter of and uniformly heated throughout in winter; and cool, 
Temperature upstairs and down, in summer. If your house is cold 
and drafty, you cannot be happy in it no matter how 
delightful, otherwise, it may be; nor can you take much 
satisfaction in upstairs rooms that are stifling hot on 
summer afternoons and nights. 


[: the home you are going to build, no matter how 


The home builder who has given thought to methods 
Ordinary of house construction understands very well why most 
Materials not houses are cold, drafty, and expensive to heat in winter, 
Heatproof and why they are hot in summer. The reason is simple: 
eat passes readily through the materials of which 
houses are ordinarily built. Hence, a large portion of 
the heat from radiators or registers escapes through the 
walls and roofs in cold weather, and entirely too much 

of the sun’s heat comes through them in summer. 


Obviously, then, if we could construct our houses 
so that walls and roofs would be almost as heat tight 
as they are weather tight, what a difference it would 
make in their comfort in all seasons of the year, and 
how much less fuel it would take to keep them warm 
in winter. 


[2] 


THe Cork Linep House Makes a CoMFoRTABLE HoME 


That is exactly what is being accomplished by 
means of heat insulation* and with such uniformly 
excellent results that the value of adequate insulation in 
promoting comfort and economy cannot be questioned. 
In fact, insulation is fast coming to be recognized as 
one of the most important factors in home construc- 
tion. The time is not far off, if indeed it is not here now, 
when no really well-planned and well-built house will 
be erected without complete insulation of the outside 
walls and roof. 


On the following pages it is clearly shown that by 
means of adequate insulation a house can be so effect- 
ually protected against outside temperatures that it 
can be kept much more comfortable, winter and 
summer; that it can be easily heated with considerably 
less fuel; and that it will require a smaller heating plant 
than would otherwise be needed. The essential factors 
to be considered in selecting an insulating material 
are fully explained, as well as the necessity for using an 
adequate thickness. These pages will repay very 
careful reading, for of insulation it is especially true 
that “What is worth doing at all is worth doing well.” 
*Insulation, in building construction, means the use of a material that will 


greatly diminish the passage of heat in either direction through walls, 
roofs or ceilings. 


[3] 


Cabins of Arctic ships are 
often lined with cork for pro- 
tection against cold 


Insulation 
a Necessity 


Tue Cork Linep House MAKEs A COMFORTABLE HoME 


Stripping cork trees in Algeria. Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree 
which flourishes in the Spanish Peninsula and Northern Africa 


[4] 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes a CoMFORTABLE HoME 


Cork—Nature’s Own Insulation 


N Spain, Portugal, southern France 
» and northern Africa are heavily 
h® wooded areas which, during the sum- 
mer months, are subjected to scorch- 
ing tropical sun and hot, parching 
»winds. And during this season 
when vegetation is dried up and 
practically lifeless, one is surprised 
to see certain trees alive and flourishing, apparently 
and actually unaffected by the terrific heat. 

These are the cork oaks, and they are able to sur- 
vive because their trunks and branches are heavily 
sheathed with an outer bark of peculiar structure, 
which prevents the sun and wind from drying up their 
life-giving sap. Why the cork oak alone should be 
protected with this kind of covering we do not know. 
It is sufficient for us that it is so; that Nature has 
developed a heat insulating material unequaled in effec- 
tiveness by any of man’s devices. And fortunate, too, 
for this bark is the cork of commerce, that indispensable 
material used almost from the dawn of history for 
stoppers and floats, and in recent years and in vastly 
greater quantities for the insulation of the walls and 
roofs of residences and commercial buildings. 

The heat-resisting property of cork is due to its 


Nature 


Insulates 
Cork Trees 


peculiar structure. Cork is made up entirely of minute Cork a 
air cells, each cell having imprisoned within it a tiny Mass of 
particle of air, too small to circulate inside the cell Air Cells 


walls and so well sealed in that it cannot pass from one 
cell to another. Nowit is well known to scientists and en- 
gineers that the most effective hindrance to the passage 


[5] 


THe Cork Linep House Makes a ComForTABLE HoME 


In frame houses, Armstrong’s Corkboard is nailed to the studs and rafters. 
Residence of Mr. Gus Jungling, Cincinnati, Ohio 


of heat is just such a mass of minutely divided, motion- 
less air, and Nature has incorporated it in the structure 
of cork in a way that is not equalled in any manufac- 
tured product. Cork is today universally recognized 
by all who deal with problems of heat and cold as the 
most efhicient, practicable insulation known. 


Its Practical Utility 


The heat-retarding value of cork has long been 

Value of known and utilized. In the hilly districts of the 
Cork Long Spanish peninsula many peasant cottages, and even 
Recognized more pretentious houses, may be found sheathed on 
walls and roofs with rough slabs of cork bark to keep 

out the heat of the sun and the chill of winter. But any 

such primitive use of cork is out of the question in 


[6] 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes a CoMFORTABLE Home 


modern buildings. To take advantage of this unusual 
property of natural cork we must prepare the material 
in suitable form to be built into our houses and build- 
ings in such a way as to utilize its full value and to 
insure its permanence as a part of the construction. 

It must be borne in mind that there are two factors 
to be considered in the choice of an insulating material 
for houses: (a) Heat-retarding Value, and (b) Struc- 
tural Practicability. Under the latter should be 
included the following: 


(1) Structural strength. The material should be 
strong enough to be easily handled and erected, and 
to stay permanently where it is put without cracking, 
loosening, or settling. 


Armstrong’s Corkboard is erected against brick, stone or hollow tile walls in 
a backing of Portland cement mortar. Dr. Frederick 
Herbert’s residence, Elkins Park, Pa. 


[7] 


Vital Points 
to be 
Considered 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes A CoMFORTABLE HOME 


(2) Nonabsorption. It should not take up or retain 
moisture; otherwise it would lose its insulating efh- 
ciency (water being an excellent heat conductor), and 
become a source of mold and decay, damaging to the 
material itself as well as to the plaster and the construc- 
tion against which it is erected. 


(3) Stability. It is essential that any insulating 
material built into the construction have no appreciable 
expansion or contraction, and should not buckle or 


‘ swell after being erected; otherwise serious damage is 


Must Meet 
Every 


Requirement 


sure to result to plaster, trim, or roofing. 


(4) Vermin-proof. It must provide no harboring 
places for rats, mice, insects, etc. 


(5) Fire-safe. It need not necessarily be absolutely 
fireproof. But it should be slow burning, difficult to 
ignite, and incapable of smoldering or of carrying fire. 


(6) A good base for plaster. The best place for 
insulation is on the inside of the walls and the under- 
side of the roof rafters or top-ceiling joists. It should, 
therefore, be capable of taking the plaster direct with- 
out the use of lath, and afford a base that will minimize 
cracking. 


(7) Reasonable in cost. The slightly higher net cost 
of the insulated house should be no more than the an- 
nual saving in heating cost will repay in a very few 
years. In other words, the investment should be a good 
one from the financial standpoint as well as from that 
of added comfort and satisfaction. 

All of these points must be given full consideration. 
For example, a material may have a high insulating 
value when new and dry, but a very low one if and when 
it becomes damp through moisture absorption. Simi- 


[8] 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes a CoMFORTABLE HoME 


The residence of Mr. C. W. Rice, Schenectady, N. Y., is insulated with Arm- 
strong’s Corkboard, one and one-half inches thick, on the 
exterior walls and second floor ceiling 


larly, an inflammable or vermin-attracting material 
becomes a menace to safety no matter how suitable it 
may otherwise be. ‘The insulation finally chosen 
should be the one which in every respect meets the 
full list of these exacting, but nevertheless essential, 
requirements. 


cArmstrong’s Corkboard Insulation 


For more than 25 years Armstrong’s Corkboard has 
been used in the construction of industrial and com- 
mercial buildings in which insulation is necessary for 
protection against differences in temperature. Every 
year many millions of board feet of Armstrong’s Cork- 


[9] 


Used for 
25 Years 


Tue Cork Linep House MakEs A CoMFORTABLE HOME 


In stucco construction, Armstrong’s Corkboard may be erected on the outside 
of the walls with the stucco applied over it. Residence of 
the Misses Eckford, Little’s Point, Swampscott, Mass. 


board go into the building of cold storage houses and 
rooms, refrigerators, tanks, on the roofs of industrial 
buildings to reduce heat transmission and to prevent 
condensation, and into the walls and roofs of residences. 


Armstrong’s Corkboard is made of granules of 

Made of pure cork carefully screened free of all dust and foreign 
Pure Cork matter. The granulated cork is compressed in molds 
and subjected to a baking process which liquefes the 

natural gum and so cements the granules into a solid 

mass. The corkboard comes from the molds in boards 

which are trimmed to a uniform width of 12 inches and 

to lengths of 32 or 36 inches. Armstrong’s Corkboard 

is supplied in 1, 144, 2, 3, 4 and 6-inch thicknesses. 


[10] 


Tue Cork Linep Houst Makes a CoMFORTABLE HoME 


Armstrong’s Corkboard, one and one-half inches thick, set against stone walls 
in Portland cement mortar. Dr. L. B. Wilson’s 
residence, Rochester, Minn. 


The thicker boards are used in cold storage insulation. 
114 and 2 inches being the thickness most used in house 
insulation. 


Armstrong’s Corkboard weighs less than one 
pound per board foot, (a square foot one inch thick). 
It is very easily handled and can be readily cut with a 
saw. Its surface is filled with innumerable shallow, 
irregular depressions which serve as an excellent key 
for plaster so that no lath need be used with corkboard. 


Insulating “Ualue 


While it is true in the strictly technical sense that 
all materials conduct heat to a greater or less degree, 


[11] 


Light in 
Weight 


Conductors 
and 


Insulators 


Tue Cork Linep House MakKEs A COMFORTABLE HOME 


Armstrong’s Corkboard, one and one-half inches thick on the walls and two 
inches thick on the second floor ceiling, will keep the home of Mr. 
R. L. Brewster, Denver, Colo., comfortable the year ’round 


it 1s common practice among engineers to separate 
them into two classes: Conductors and insulators. 
The conductors are those through which heat travels 
rapidly or quite perceptibly. The insulators are the 
materials through which the transfer of heat is very 
slow. In common parlance insulators are those materi- 
als which “‘stop” the heat. 

The following table gives an idea of the wide 
variation in the conductivity of different substances: 


Coppertnciics Gian ae eee 2547. to 2588. 
Steel ccsstus, 2 eee nee tae ae eae ee eee 312.5.103 15: 
late ccictccs «stl onan ee ter eee ee 10.37 

Brickizkes gawnnt ee ee bia? 

Con crétésnciacattcees nie cee eee 3.2. tom Ard 
Wood}; (averagé).¢ 2.29 oe ee ee 1.02 
Armstrone’s«Corkboaru. 9 = ean ee 304 


THE Cork Linep House Makes A ComMFoRTABLE HoME 


The conductivities are expressed as the number of 
B.t.u., (British thermal units, the standard unit of 
heat quantity) which are transmitted in one hour 
through one square foot of the material, one inch 
thick, for one degree Fahrenheit difference in tempera- 
ture between the two sides. 


To divest this of technical terms, assume the rate 
of heat travel through Armstrong’s Corkboard to be 1. Cork a 
Then the rate through wood is 3.36; concrete, 15.47; Good 
brick, 17.15; steel 1036. In other words, heat travels Jycylator 
through brick work, for example, 17.15 times as fast 
as through Armstrong’s Corkboard, or expressed in 
another way, 17.15 times as much heat passes through 
brickwork as through Armstrong’s Corkboard, assum- 
ing the same thickness and conditions. 


All commonly used building materials—stone, 
concrete, tile, brick, stucco, house plaster, slate, Ordinary 
lumber, etc., are, relatively, heat conductors rather Materials 
than insulators, since the rate of heat flow through Pgoy 
them is rapid. In other words, a distinct and in most 
cases quite a large volume of heat passes through these 
materials in the thicknesses ordinarily used. 


Insulators 


Now of course, it would be possible to reduce this 

heat leakage by greatly increasing the thickness of the Thick Walls 
walls and roof of a home. For example, a brick or stone gre Expensive 
wall might be made 24, 30 or 36 inches thick, or 6, 8 or 
10-inch thicknesses of lumber might be used, and there- 
by greatly lessen heat loss. Manifestly, however, such 
construction is entirely out of the question on the 
score of expense alone, to say nothing of consider- 
ations of space, weight, etc. And quite unneces-_- a - 

sary also, for the result we are after may be . | 


[13 ] / 


Ao 


Fass 
Pies. Fe 


So little heat is lost through 

the roof of the cork lined .g@: ; 

house that the snow does |) \ yun. 
not melt | 


Tue Cork Linep House MakEs A CoMFORTABLE HOME 


easily and inexpensively attained by lining the walls - 
and roof with a sufficient thickness of Armstrong’s 
Corkboard Insulation. 
Effect of | The remarkable effect on heat transmission of 
Armstrong’s adding Armstrong’s Corkboard to standard construc- 
Corkboard tion is best shown in the following table: 
Transmission in 


Transmission in | B.t.u. per sq. ft. 
B.t.u. per sq. ft.} per hr. per deg. 


per hr. per deg. diff. in temp. 
WALL CONSTRUCTION Fahr. diff. in insulated with 
temp. without 1% inches of 
insulation Armstrong’s 
Corkboard 


6-inch hollow tile 


plastered both sides 0.28 0.12 


6-inch concrete 0.35 0.13 


8-inch brick, furring, 
lath and plaster O21 0.10 


4-inch brick, sheathing, studding, 
lath and plaster Ont 0.10 


4-inch brick, 6-inch 
hollow tile, plaster 0.24 0.11 


Clapboards, sheathing, studding 
lath and plaster O75 0.12 


Stucco, studding, 
lath and plaster 0.39 0.13 


Insulated with 


ROOF CONSTRUCTION Fee 
rmstrong’s 
Corkboard 
Slate and sheathing 0.42 0.11 
Shingles, sheathing and rafters 0.35 0.11 


[14] 


Tue Cork Linep Houst Makes A ComForTABLE Home 


It will be noted that the insulation reduces the heat 
transmission through the wall or roof to a half, or a 
third, or in some cases even less, of that of the un- 
insulated construction. 


Other Advantages 


Armstrong’s Corkboard is a firm, rigid board with 
ample structural strength. Properly erected, it will not Strong in 
break away from the construction, and, of course, Structure 
cannot settle like loosely packed materials. It neither 
expands nor contracts, nor does it in any way change 
in form or lose in strength no matter how long it may 
remain in place. 


Armstrong’s Corkboard provides a permanent and thoroughly satisfactory 
base for all kinds of interior plaster. Mr. Arthur M. Lowenthal’s 
residence, Rochester, N. Y. 


[15] 


Unaffected 
by Moisture 


No Capillary 


Attraction 


Tue Cork Linep Houst Makes A ComFORTABLE HOME 


Armstrong’s Corkboard was used on the outside walls, upstairs ceilings and 
all partitions in the home of Mr. C. F. Colbert, Jr., Aspinwall, Pa. The 


cork insulation makes the two-story living room easy to heat 


Armstrong's Corkboard 1s nonabsorbent of motsture. 
Built into the walls and roof, it remains perfectly dry 
and free from rot and mold. It affords an effective 
barrier against the penetration of moisture from out- 
side the building. This matter of moisture absorption 
is one of the most important to be considered in con- 
nection with house insulation. 

At this point it is well to examine a very vital 
difference between the cellular type of insulation, such 
as corkboard, and the fibrous class which includes 
almost all other insulators. Fibrous insulations of all 
kinds have one characteristic which is inherent in 
their fibrous structure and inseparable from it, namely, 
capillarity—a rather technical term for a very common 


[16] 


Tue Cork Linep House MakEs A CoMFORTABLE HoME 


The plaster on the exterior walls of this room was applied directly to Arm- 
strong’s Corkboard. Mr. M. C. Poffenberger’s residence, Detroit, Mich. 


property. It means the natural tendency of any 
material made up of fibers to “soak up” or absorb 
moisture in the manner of a sponge or lamp-wick. 
This tendency is extremely difficult, if not impossible, 
to overcome, various methods of moisture-proofing 
having been tried with indifferent success except for 
temporary effect. 
Cork, on the other hand, is cellular, not fibrous. 
It has no capillarity and no tendency to absorb mois- Free from 
ture. Therefore it does not decay, or mold, or dis- Mold and 
integrate structurally. It is because of this structural Decay 
permanence, in addition to its very high heat retarding 
value, that cork, in its manufactured form of cork- 
board, has come to be generally recognized as the most 
efficient, durable, and economical insulation. 


[17] 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes a CoMFORTABLE HoME 


The home of Mr. H. G. Crowder, Winnetka, IIl., is lined throughout with 
Armstrong’s Corkboard, one and one-half inches thick on 
walls and two inches thick on the top floor ceiling 


It might be thought that there would be little danger 

Insulation of moisture reaching the insulation in a house; never- 
Should be theless, it can and does. Under ordinary conditions, 
Moisture- all building materials are quite likely to be exposed, 
proof before or during construction, to rain or snow, and if 
they become wet they might better be thrown away 
than built into the house. For it must be understood 
that water is an excellent conductor of heat and its 
presence in any material practically destroys its 
insulating value. The result, of course, is the same if, 
after the house is finished, -water gets to the insulation 
through leaks in the roof or wall, or by absorption during 
damp or rainy weather. A moisture absorbing material 
should never be used as insulation. Armstrong’s 


[18] 


THe Cork LiInep House Makes A CoMFORTABLE HoME 


Corkboard is inherently nonabsorbent and can _ be 
used with complete assurance that it will remain so 


for the life of the building. 


Armstrong's Corkboard does not buckle or swell. 
Armstrong’s Corkboard has no appreciable expansion 
or contraction and is so thoroughly moistureproof 
that it does not swell or buckle after being installed. 
It is not necessary to make any allowance in the joints 
for movement or change of shape or size. The joints 
are laid tight and remain exactly as laid, not opening 
up by contraction or bulging by expansion. 


This characteristic of Armstrong’s Corkboard 
very important. Any material that “comes and goes” 
with changes in temperature or humidity is almost 
certain to do considerable damage to plaster and trim 
if not to the construction itself. Armstrong’s Corkboard 
can be erected on walls or ceilings with the complete 
assurance of its stability. 


Armstrong’s Corkboard 1s fire safe. It is an exceed- 
ingly slow burning material which does not smolder or 
carry fire. Flame in contact with corkboard produces 
a surface charring—a noninflammable coating—which 
serves effectually to check the spread of frre. 


How Armstrong’s Corkboard 1s Used 


The use of Armstrong’s Corkboard as insulation 
involves no change whatever in house construction 
except increasing the depth of window and door 
frames in exterior walls by the thickness of 
the insulation. ‘This is so small an item oa 
as to be almost negligible. 


[19] 


Third floor rooms in cork? 
lined houses are as warm as 
those downstairs 


No 
Expansion 
or 
Contraction 


Slow Burning 
and a Fire 
Retardant 


No Lath 


Tue Cork Linep House MakKEs a CoMFORTABLE HoME 


Armstrong’s Corkboard is usually erected on the 
inside of the exterior walls and on the underside of 


Required either the roof rafters or second floor ceiling joists. 


Adequate 
Thickness 


Essential 


Against studding, rafters or joists, the sheets of cork- 
board are simply nailed in place. Against brick, tile, 
stone, or concrete, they are erected in Portland cement 
mortar, without the use of furring strips. Various 
methods of application are shown in the illustrations 
throughout this book. The inside surface is then 
plastered in the usual way with any standard house 
plaster. No lath is required on insulated surfaces as 
Armstrong’s Corkboard 1s itself an excellent base for 
plaster. Plaster on corkboard keys into the surface 
indentations and holds permanently and with a mini- 
mum of cracking. It is easier to apply than on lath. 


Armstrong’s Corkboard is light in weight, easily 
handled and readily cut with a saw. Since it neither 
expands nor contracts, no allowance need be made at 
the joints for swelling or shrinking. 


The Thickness to Use 


The prospective home builder will do well to con- 
sider very carefully whether in getting “insulation” 
he is really getting enough insulation to insure the 
results he desires. The term “insulation”’ is loosely and 
variously used to cover anything from so-called ‘‘air 
spaces” or a sheet of building paper to insulation that 
is genuinely effective. The heat retarding value of any 
material, practically speaking, is in proportion to its 
thickness. A sheet of building paper has, of course, 
some insulating value, but so little as to be quite in- 
effective. The mere fact that a certain material has 


[ 20] 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes a CoMFoRTABLE HoME 


a conductivity lower than that of the ordinarily used 
building materials does not by any means qualify it 
as efficient, economical insulation irrespective of the 
thickness in which it is used. The thickness of even the 
best of insulators, corkboard for example, must be 
such as to afford the degree of insulation that, in terms 
of comfort gained and fuel saved, will more than 
justify its cost. A little insulation may cost more than 
it 1s worth, whereas enough insulation is worth far 
more than it costs. 


The thickness of insulation which will effect the 1% Inches 
desired results and at the same time make the maxi- gn Walls 
mum economic return on the investment depends 


Armstrong’s Corkboard, one and one-half inches thick, set in Portland cement 
mortar against cinder block walls in the residence of Mr. 
H. W. Prentis, Jr., Lancaster, Pa. The ceiling 
insulation is two inches thick 


[21] 


Tue Cork Linep House MaKEs A COMFORTABLE HoME 


The lining of Armstrong’s Corkboard in the home of Mr. N. P. Benson, 
Minneapolis, Minn., makes feasible the use of city gas for heating 


somewhat on climatic conditions and upon the con- 

2 Inches struction with which it is to be used. In general, 

on Roofs however, it may be stated that one and a half inches of 
Armstrong’s Corkboard should be used on exterior 
walls and two inches on the roof or top floor ceiling. 
To use less, except where unusual conditions may 
justify a slight reduction in thickness, is to forego 
much of the benefit of adequate insulation without 
making a proportionate saving in cost. 


These recommendations as to thickness are based 
on this Company’s experience of over 25 years in 
supplying insulation for almost every conceivable 
condition and are designed to afford the home builder 
the maximum value for the lowest practicable cost. 


[ 22] 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes A CoMFORTABLE HoME 


In considering insulating materials recommended 

in thin sheets, the home builder should bear in mind Compare 
that the actual benefits of insulation are, practically Equal 
speaking, in proportion to the thickness used, and that 
no material has a heat retarding value sufficiently high 
to justify its use in less than one-inch thickness. 
Furthermore, in order to get the true relation between 
insulating value and cost, all comparisons should be 
made on the basis of equal thickness. 


Thicknesses 


The Results of Insulation 


The effect of lining walls and roof with Armstrong’s 
Corkboard is primarily to increase their resistance to 
the passage of heat in or out so that much more of the 
heat delivered from registers or radiators stays inside 
the house, and less of the outside heat of summer 
penetrates to the living quarters. 


As a result, the cork-insulated house is so much 
easier to heat that it can be kept comfortably warm 
with appreciably less fuel, and with a heating plant 
considerably smaller than the house would require if 
it were not insulated. 


These two economies represent the money saving Reduces Size 
features that, from the strictly investment standpoint, of Heating 
make house insulation well worth while. The reduction Plgnt¢t 
in heating plant capacity is a first cost saving that will 
ordinarily pay about 60% of the gross cost of the i1n- 
sulation, leaving its net cost a very low percentage 
of the value of the house, as little in many in- 
stances as 1% or 2%. 

The lower fuel consumption is an 
annual saving which, in four or five 


[23 ] 


Cork lined houses warm up 
quickly in the morning 


Tue Cork Linep Houst Makes A CoMFORTABLE HOME 


seasons at most, should entirely repay the net cost of 

the insulation. 
In the average house it is estimated that about 
Saves 45% of the heat loss is through doors, windows, etc. 
One-third This loss is not preventable. The other 55% escapes 
of Fuel through the walls and roof, and it is this waste that 
insulation reduces. Applying the results shown on the 
table on page 14 to a typical brick-veneer house with 
a slate roof, we find that Armstrong’s Corkboard 
insulation reduces the wall and roof loss by 60%. ‘The 
net heat saving is therefore 60% of 55%, or 33%, 
which means, of course, an equivalent saving in fuel. 
The following letter from owners of cork insulated 
houses give eloquent testimony on the two points just 

mentioned. 


Under date of August 11, 1925, Mr. W. H. Larimer, 
Gas Bilj Richland Lane, Pittsburgh, Pa., wrote: 


fe Y, “T have been checking up my gas bills for the past 
or ear ; : 
winter and would like to tell you what I have found. As 
$130.80 you know, our house is brick and hollow tile against which 
is cemented two-inch corkboard; that is to say, the walls and 
roof are lined with two-inch corkboard. All the windows and 
doors are caulked and weather stripped. We use a gas furn- 
ace and hot water heat. 

“The gas was lighted October 22, 1924, and from this 
date to October 15, 1925, our total gas bills amounted to 
$130.80, using 60-cent gas. No other fuel was used and the 
temperature ranged from 70 to 72 degrees both night and 
day. Included in this total is the gas used for cooking, Ruud 
hot water heater, laundry, garage, etc. About the middle 
of January we had the garage insulated with two-inch cork- 
board which, of course, cut down the gas consumption there. 
In the garage we use a small gas heater. 

“You will understand that we heat the entire three 
floors and find all parts of the house comfortable and the 
temperature practically uniform.” 


[ 24 ] 


Tue Cork Linep House MakEs A CoMFORTABLE HoME 


Computation from carefully kept records shows 
that of the total of $130.80, $32.80 was for gas used 


for cooking, hot water supply, laundry, etc., and 
$98.00 for heating. It is estimated that, without 
insulation, the item of heating cost alone for this 


house would have been $145.00, a saving of $47.00 
or 32%. 


With respect to the practicability of reducing the 
size of the heating plant in a cork-lined house, read 


what Dr. J. W. W. Walker, Auburn, N. Y., has to say 
in his letter of December 18, 1925: 


“Since the installation of Armstrong’s Corkboard in 
my residence last fall, the boiler has maintained such an 
even temperature throughout the house, and we have been 
so comfortable during this severe early winter, that I feel 
certain specific data will be of interest. 


“The residence is a large country house of thirteen 
rooms capacity, remodeled from an eight room structure, 
and is located on a rise of ground on the edge of town where 
the wind has full sweep over the fields. 


“Under ordinary construction 825 square feet of . 
radiation would have been necessary, whereas 5671 square 
feet were installed—or a reduction of approximately 31.2%. 


Later, December 28, 1925, Dr. Walker wrote as 
follows: 


“Tt may be of interest to you to read the enclosed 
newspaper clipping in todays “Citizen,” stating that 
yesterday [December 27] was the coldest on record in 
Auburn: the temperature was 10° below zero accompanied 
by a 50-mile gale of wind. It will be further of interest to 
know that my house was perfectly comfortable, maintaining 
an average temperature of 72° throughout the house. 


“T feel this is as good a test as could be desired by 
anyone. Thanks to Armstrong’s Corkboard my house is 
all that can be desired from the standpoint of warmth.” 


[25 ] 


Size of 
Heating 
Plant 
Reduced 31% 


Comfortable 
at 10 Below 
Zero 


THe Cork Linep Houst MaKEs A COMFORTABLE HOME 


Residence of Dr. James W. W. Walker, Auburn, N. Y., insulated with Arm- 
strong’s Corkboard. Note Dr. Walker’s letters on the preceding page 


The Comfort Factor 


But after all, for most people, the investment 
Comfort feature of the house is secondary. The social and 
the Basis of domestic aspects outweigh the financial. We build 
Satisfaction for the satisfaction, comfort, and security we expect 
to enjoy in the home. Anything within reason that 
can be incorporated into the house to make it more 
comfortable adds to it a satisfaction value beyond 
computation in money terms. A lining of Armstrong’s 
Corkboard enhances the liveability of the house in 

many ways. 


In the first place such a house can be uniformly 
heated. You know how most houses are: there is 


[ 26] 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes a CoMFORTABLE HoME 


usually a “cold side”, or one or more rooms that are 
“hard to heat.’ In the cork lined house, the heat 
loss through the exterior surfaces is so slight that the 
warmth becomes evenly distributed and remains so. 
There is no marked difference between upstairs and 
downstairs, between north side and south side. The 
whole house is comfortable—living room, dining room, 
bedroom or attic. 


Second, the cork lined house stays warm overnight; 
the insulation holds in the heat. Of course bedrooms 
that are opened at night get cold, but when they are 
closed in the morning and heat turned on, they warm 
up in a fraction of the time required in an uninsulated 
house. You don’t have to dress in the bathroom. The 
“heat response’’ of the cork lined house is very rapid. 
The temperature comes up quickly because practically 
none of the heat is lost through the construction. 


Third, the cork lined house is much freer from 
drafts. Draftiness is largely due to cold walls and 
ceilings. Warm air coming in contact with them is 
chilled quickly and falls, setting up a circulation quite 
noticeable in large rooms and particularly in halls and 
stairways where all the chilled air from upstairs pours 
down to the lower floor. Where the walls are warm, 
as they are when lined with Armstrong’s Corkboard, 
the cooling of the air is much less rapid, and circulation 


and draftiness greatly reduced. As a result your house 4 1gy 


is not only more comfortable, but much more 


healthful. 


Fourth, the cork lined house is quieter, 
and drier. Armstrong’s Corkboard is a 
sound-deadener and its use in walls and 


[27] 


ie 


Cork lined houses are free 
from drafts 


Cork Lined 
Houses Heat 
Uniformly 


Cork Lined 
Houses 


Warm Up 
Quickly 


Cork Lined 
Houses are 
Free from 


Drafts 


Walls 


Always : 


Dry 


Bedrooms 


Are (ool 


THE Cork LINED House MakKEs a COMFORTABLE HOME 


roof shuts out sounds from the street and neighboring 
houses. Used in partitions it isolates each room and 
affords a privacy not possible with partitions as ordi- 
narily built. 

Armstrong’s Corkboard is nonabsorbent and 
virtually impermeable to moisture. Walls in which it 
is used will always be perfectly dry and free from 
condensation. 


Cool in Summer 


In summer, conditions are reversed. ‘The higher 
temperature is outside and the effect of the insulation 
is to retard the passage of heat inward through the 
construction. Think of the midnight hours you have 
spent on the porch waiting for the upstairs to cool off, 
and of the unbearable temperature in attic rooms on 
an August afternoon and you will better appreciate 
what it means to have your house protected from the 
summer heat. 


The cork lined house is many degrees cooler. This 
is especially true of the upper floors because of the 
protection afforded by the insulation on the roof or 
top-floor ceiling. In uninsulated houses, most of the 
heat comes in through the roof, it being usually of 
light construction and exposed all day to the direct 
rays of the sun. Shut out this heat with Armstrong’s 


Corkboard and the attic becomes available for pleasant 


\ spare rooms, play rooms, or maids’ quarters. In the 

>» cork lined house the upstairs is as comfortable as 
{> ABOUISEUS and temperatures throughout the 
‘house are noticeably lower than in other 
houses, no matter how well built, 


[ 28] 


Cork lined: houses are cool on 
hot summer days 


Tue Cork LINEp Housrt MAKEs A COMFORTABLE HoME 


The roofs of existing homes can be easily lined with Armstrong’s Corkboard, 
as shown here. Residence of Mr. E. A. Reynolds, 
Chicago, Ill. (See page 31) 


which lack the advantage of heat-proofed walls and 
roofs. 


Not Expensive 


Insulation with Armstrong’s Corkboard is easily 
within the cost limits of every house that is worth Moderate 
building well. It is not expensive. Its use need not in Cost 
increase the expense of building by more than 2% of 
the cost of the house. In many cases it is less, and in 
all cases the amount is such as will be entirely repaid 
by the fuel savings of four or five seasons at most. 
‘The example cited on page 24 is typical. 


Can you think of any other equal investment which 
returns such generous dividends in money and enjoy- 


[29] 


A Good 


Investment 


Easy to 
Insulate 
Existing 

Houses 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes A CoMFORTABLE HOME 


ment? The comparatively small amount expended to 
insulate your house with Armstrong’s Corkboard not 
only pays itself back in money saved on fuel at the 
rate of 25% to 334%4% a year, but as loneeasevour 
house stands, it insures a degree of comfort and satis- 
faction not obtainable in any other way. And if you 
ever want to sell, the fact that your house is insulated 
with Armstrong’s Corkboard and the record of your 
low fuel requirements will materially increase its 
resale value. 


Insulation of Existing Houses 


Insulation with Armstrong’s Corkboard is by no 
means limited to new houses. In houses already built, 
it 1s a very simple matter to insulate the roof, or the 
top-floor ceiling. (See the illustration on page 29.) If 
the attic space is unfinished and accessible, all that is 
necessary is to nail the corkboard to the underside of 
the rafters; it may be finished with plaster or not, as 
desired. Or the corkboard may be nailed over the top 
floor joists and either floored over or left uncovered if 
the space is not to be used. Also, when re-roofing, 
corkboard may be laid on top of the sheathing and the 
new roof applied over it. In this way one of the worst 
heat leaks in the house can be effectually stopped with 
results in added comfort and fuel economy that amply 
justify the small expense and labor involved. 


When old frame houses are to be covered with 
stucco, the walls can be just as easily and effectively 


[30] 


Tue Cork Linep House Makes A CoMFORTABLE HOME 


insulated with Armstrong’s Corkboard as in the case 
of new houses. The corkboard is simply nailed on the 
walls. Magnesite stucco may then be applied directly 
on the corkboard without the use of metal lath or wire 
mesh. In the case of cement stucco, it 1s advisable to 
use the wire or metal lath. 


Armstrong’s Corkboard can be nailed over clapboards, siding or shingles and 
then finished with stucco, as shown here. Mr. Harry Dreuding’s 
residence, Elkins Park, Pa. (See page 31) 


[31] 


Tue Cork Linep Housrt MaKEs A CoMFORTABLE HOME 


Full information will be furnished for the insulation 
of existing houses upon receipt of a description of the 
construction and conditions. 


Further Information 


More detailed information on the properties and 
uses of Armstrong’s Corkboard, estimates of cost, 
sources of supply, etc., will be supplied to all who are 
planning to build or remodel houses. 


ARMSTRONG CorK & INSULATION COMPANY 
Division of Armstrong Cork Company 


PITTSBURGH, PA. 


Branches in the Principal Cities of the United States and Canada 


Printed in U. S. A. 
aes 


